Why is 'shrinkflation' happening to so many consumer products?

Shrinkflation is when companies make products smaller but keep their prices the same, like giving you less candy for the same price.

Imagine you have a bag of gummy worms that used to have 20 worms inside. Now it only has 15, but the price still says $2. That’s shrinkflation, the bag is smaller, but the cost stays the same!

Companies want to keep their money when things get more expensive. Think of it like this: if you're a store and your candy costs more to buy, you might not want to raise the price for kids (or yourself). So instead, you just put fewer gummy worms in each bag, that way, you save some money without making anyone pay more.

Kids notice when there are fewer gummy worms or smaller boxes of cereal. They might feel like they're getting less for the same price, kind of like if your favorite toy got shorter but still cost the same amount!

So shrinkflation is a sneaky way companies save money, and it can make kids (and grown-ups) feel like they’re not getting as much as before.